Aeroplane



Feb. 25, 1930. c. c. WARREN 4 1,748,811

AEROPLANE Filed Sept. 17; 1928 Y 2 Sheets- Sheet 1 IN VENTOR 63 (J 77 97;

ATTORN EY Feb. 25, 1930.-

C. C. WARREN AEROPLANE Filed Sept. 17. 1928 2 Sheets-Shet 2 INVENTOR I C 6. litrreva BY 7 l 1 ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 25, 1930 UNITED STATES CHARLES G. WARREN, OF CHIGKASHA, OKLAHOMA nnaoenenn Application filed. September 17, 1928. Serial No. 306,871.

My invention relates to aeroplanes, and has as one of its objects the provision of an aeroplane which will safely carry its passengers to earth in the event that the machine starts 5 to fall or otherwise become inoperative.

The invention further provides an aerolane equipped with a parachute and means or releasing the forepart of the aeroplane from the fuselage so that the latter will be 10 permitted to slowly descend under the control of the parachute.

The invention also contemplates a water tight fuselage or passenger carrying compartment which will float upon water and thereby 15 protect the passengers indefinitely.

With the preceding andother objects and advantages in mind, the invention consists in the novel combination of elements, constructions and arrangement of parts and op- 2 erations to be hereinafter specifically referred to, claimed and illustrated in the ac companying drawings, wherein Y c Figure 1 is a side elevation of an aeroplane constructed in accordance with my invention.

Figure 2 is aperspective of the parachute holder embodied in the invention.

Figure 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view of the same. Figure 4 is a detail perspective of the latch mechanism embodied in the invention.

Figure 5 is an elevation illustrating the fuselage in the act of. descending underthe control of the parachute.

Figure 6 is a front end elevation of the fuselage having parts broken away, and

Figure 7 is a longitudinal sectional view of the detachable foresection of the machine.

Referring to the invention in detail, a hollow fore-aeroplane section 5 cast from light metal is provided. The section 5 is equipped with a wlng 6, motor 7 operatively connected with a propeller 8 and a conventional landing gear 9. A closed torpedo shaped shell or fuselage 9 has its forward end removably 'received in the hollow section 5. The upper wall of the shell 9 is provided with an opening 10 which normally registers with a trans.- parent look-out'compartment 11 provided in the cock-pit of the hollow section. However,

50 when the shell is detached from the hollow section, the opening 10 isisealed by a water tight closure 12 hinged within the shell and adapted to be secured in closed position from the inside by any-suitable means.

To maintain the shell and hollow section in assembled relation, a latch mechanism illustrated particularly in Figure 1 is employed, This latch mechanism comprises a horizontal rock shaft 13 having one end journaled in a bearing 14 mounted upon the bottom wall of the shell adjacent its forward end. The opposite end of the rock shaft projects from the forward end of the shell and carries a latch bar 15 which is normally engaged with horizontally alined keepers 16 formed on vertically extending bars 17 arranged within the hollow section 5 and extendin from the u per to the lower walls thereo A lateral y projecting normally horizontally disposed arm 18 is fixed to the rock shaft and is normally held against movement by a manually releasable latch '19.

Mounted on upstanding posts 20 arising from the upper wall of the shell adjacent its rear end is a parachute box 21 having a hinged lid 22, the latter being normally urged to raised position by springs 23 attached to the upper face of the 11d and one of the side walls of the box.

' A spring pressed latch bolt 24 is earned by the under face of the cover and is normally engaged with an opening 25 in one of Y the side walls of the box as illustrated in Fig ure 3. The opposite end of the latch bolt projects from the boxand carries a transverse pin 26 whose ends project laterally. In order to retract the latch bolt to permit the springs to function to raise the-lid, a bell crank lever 27 is pivotally supported adjacent the projecting end of the latch bolt and carries a yoke 28 at its upper end. The yoke 28 straddles the latch bolt and is engageable with the laterally projecting ends of the pin upon rocking of the bell crank lever by exerting manual strain on a control cable 29 attached to one end of the bell crank lever. This control cable extends vertically through guides 30 on one of the posts-20 and thence through a longitudinally'extending tube 31 10c extending along the top wall of the shell to a point adjacent the pilots seat.

A conventional parachute 32 is contained in the parachute box and attached thereto 34 supported at the forward end of the shell directly above the arm 18. From the pulley 34 the cable 33 is extended downwardly and attached to the arm 18.

. The parachute cable 33 passes through a perforated plate 35 to be engaged by a sto 36 carried by the parachute cable after the latter has traveled a predetermined distance in a rearward direction.

To facilitate detachment "of the shell from the hollow casing, a plurality of anti-friction rollers 37 is mounted upon the'periphery of the shell to eliminate friction between the latter and walls of the casting.

A water tank 38 is mounted within the shell. An air tank 39 is also mounted within the shell for supplying oxygen to the occupants thereof. Also a conventional radio set 40 is provided on the shell to permit the occupants to communicate with rescue ships in the event the shell lands in water. Auxiliary gas tanks 41 are carried within the casting 5.

In the event of mishap, the pilot first disengages the latch 19 from the arm 18 and then pulls the control cable to permit the lid 22 to open. The parachute now passes out of the box and after travelling a predetermined distance opens. Due to :the opening of the parachute, the parachute cable will be placed under strain to raise the arm 18 and thus rock the rock shaft 13 to disengage the latch bar 15 from its keepers. The shell and casting are now detached so. that u on further movement of theparachute ca le in a rearward direction, the stop 36 engaging the plate 35 will jerk the shell from the casting.

The shell will gravitate under the control of the parachute to safely land the passengers on land or sea. 1

Due to the fact that the shell is air tight,

it will float on water and retain the occupants safely until picked up by a rescue ship.

What is claimed is:

1. In an aeroplane, a passenger carrying compartment, and a hollow engine carrying compartment received on one end thereof, cooperating latch means normally holding the two compartments in assembled relation, and

a: parachute carried by the passenger compartment and operable to actuate the latch means to detach the compartments and allow the passenger compartment to descend safely.

2. In an aeroplane, a passengercarrying compartment, and a hollow engine carrying compartment received on one end thereof,

cooperating latch means normally holding P partments and allow the passenger carrying compartment to descend when the parachute is open.

4.. An aeroplane including a hollow foresection, a shell having one end received therein, a rock shaft extending longitudinally of the shell and projecting from the forward end thereof, a latch bar carried by the projecting end of the rock shaft, keepers supported within the hollow casting and normally engaged by the latch bar to hold the shell and casting'in assembled relation, and means for actuating the rock shaft to disengage the latch bar from the keepers to detach the shell from the casting.

5. In an aeroplane, a passenger carrying compartment, an engine carrying compartment received on one end thereof, latch means normally holding the twocompartments in assembled relation, a container mounted on the passenger compartment and having a normally closed lid, a parachute in the container, a cable extending from the parachute within the passenger compartment and operatively connected with the latch means whereby to render the latter inactive when the parachute is open, and an actuating cable operatively connected with the container lid and extending to the pilots seat and operative to open such lid to permit the parachute to open.

CHARLES C. WARREN. v

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